The Guard isn’t going home. Leaders fear retention may suffer January 28 Hundreds of National Guard troops hold inside the Capitol Visitor s Center to reinforce security at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The House of Representatives is pursuing an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump for his role in inciting an angry mob to storm the Capitol last week. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) On the morning of Jan. 20, two divisions’ worth of National Guard troops around 26,000, according to National Guard Bureau data shared with Military Times from 50 states and three territories stood watch in the nation’s capital for the inauguration of President Joseph Biden. Some even rode the Metro to their posts, helmets on and rifles slung.
Thousands of Guard troops to stay in Washington as threats target lawmakers ahead of impeachment trial January 24 WASHINGTON Federal law enforcement officials are examining a number of threats aimed at members of Congress as the second trial of former President Donald Trump nears, including ominous chatter about killing legislators or attacking them outside of the U.S. Capitol, a U.S. official told The Associated Press. The threats, and concerns that armed protesters could return to sack the Capitol anew, have prompted the U.S. Capitol Police and other federal law enforcement to insist thousands of National Guard troops remain in Washington as the Senate moves forward with plans for Trump’s trial, the official said.